By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, says investigations into allegations linking two national executives of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to a rogue anti-galamsey taskforce are still ongoing, with no report yet submitted to his office by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
The two officials, Joseph Yamin, the NDC’s National Organiser, and Yakubu Abanga, the party’s Third National Vice Chairman, were accused of having connections to an illegal taskforce allegedly extorting and harassing small-scale miners across the country.
The allegations were made by the Concerned Small Scale Miners Association of Ghana (CSSMAG), which claimed the taskforce was operating in mining communities with the backing or influence of the two party executives.
Following the claims, the Office of the Attorney-General formally requested EOCO to investigate the matter.
Speaking during the government’s accountability series at the Jubilee House on Monday, December 22, 2025, Dr. Ayine said his office had not received any official update or report from EOCO on the investigations.
“No letter has been received in my office on the investigation of Joseph Yamin and Abanga. As far as the investigation is concerned, it is ongoing,” he stated.
Dr. Ayine stressed that his office does not make public the outcomes of investigations until they are fully concluded, describing illegal mining as a complex issue that often involves multiple actors. “We do not announce the results of an investigation until we have come to a conclusion. The issue of illegal mining is a very complex one,” he said.
The Attorney-General clarified that he was not speaking on behalf of EOCO regarding any perceived delays, noting that intelligence gathered so far had expanded the scope of the investigation beyond the two individuals initially named. “There is a whole complex web of people who are involved, and investigations are still ongoing,” he said, adding that EOCO would release its findings at the appropriate time.
Dr. Ayine reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that all allegations related to illegal mining are thoroughly investigated in accordance with the law.
